Emotional moment for Sheffield ice hockey player

Roger Williams

After a tough couple of months for Sheffield Steeldogs, there are signs that the good times may be coming back.

Last weekend they were only a penalty shot away from winning both games and a central figure in those games was Stanislav Lascek.

“Stano” made his third ‘debut’ for the club having been snapped up following his release from Hull and both on and off the ice he has been putting smiles back on faces – including his own when he was introduced before Friday’s game.

“I wasn’t expecting the welcome I got when I came onto the ice last week” he said.

“When I stood on the blue line I was in game mode, focussed for the 60 minutes to come, preparing my routine. It was amazing to hear the applause and cheers. It was one of the best feelings I had in a long time”.

Lascek initially played for Steeldogs as injury cover briefly back in 2014, he then became a key part of last season’s Steeldogs but left for Hull in the off-season.

However he missed the team spirit in Sheffield; “Being here at the Steeldogs is something special. I’ve been on many teams across the world but this team makes me have a smile on my face, it’s a real good feeling. When you step on the ice with these guys, it’s a plus. You want to play hard and fight for them”.

Lascek’s line with Arnoldas Bosas and Liam Kirk proved a handful last weekend and the team will need them to deliver again when they take on the Elite league bound Milton Keynes Lightning on Sunday.

Stano is looking forward to taking on the team that first brought him to the UK; “It will be special. They are a great team, they can play in so many ways.

“Even if you are up by three goals, the Lightning will never give up. We need to be disciplined and keep out of the penalty box, if we can do this we will be giving ourselves the best chance against this team”.

Steeldogs play the MK Lightning tomorrow, 5:30 face-off at iceSheffield.